Desperate Measures (19 page)

It looked like a much nicer and better kept park than the one where we used to live. There were two tennis courts, a play area, football pitches and a boating pond with a little island in the middle.

‘We won’t need a garden, Dad, we can go there,’ said Re.

I looked down to the street and saw a big van pull up. Two men got out with a girl. To my surprise, she looked up and waved. I did a double take. It was Rosie!

The men started unloading the furniture.

‘Let’s hope this lift doesn’t break down,’ murmured Dad as we all hurried down to help.

‘Rosie!’ I exclaimed when we got outside.

‘Thought I’d come and help out.’ She turned to the tall man. ‘Dad, this is my friend Vicky.’

I looked at him and pasted on a smile. I could feel my face burning bright red.

‘Nice to meet you. Come round sometime and pull Rosie’s nose out of those books for a bit, will you?’

‘Dad! Pl-ease!’ hissed Rosie, rolling her eyes. ‘You’re soooo embarrassing!’

‘That’s what dads are for, isn’t it?’ joked Dad.

Rosie’s dad and the other man, Dave, laughed.

‘Ha ha. Very funny,’ I said, grinning at Rosie.

Two hours later and our new flat had a sofa and two armchairs, bunk beds in Re’s and my room and a small single bed crammed into Jamie’s. We also had a fold-up table and four chairs, a wardrobe and two chests of drawers.

After mugs of tea and lots of flapjacks, Rosie, her dad and Dave left us to it and we set about unpacking the boxes, making up the beds and sorting out our stuff.

Mrs Frankish swooped in for her first visit later that afternoon. I felt really nervous and even Jamie was on his best behaviour. Actually, I’ve got a feeling she’s secretly rooting for us. She gave Dad a cookbook and, despite munching her way through three chocolate flapjacks, she insisted on marking all the ‘nutritionally correct’ recipes with her green fluorescent pen. Re was definitely not impressed.

‘I’m not eating that!’ she said, pointing to a photo labelled ‘Liver and Onion Surprise’.

I thought Mrs Frankish would get all huffy but she just glanced at the photo, gave a small laugh and told Re she didn’t blame her.

It was only after Mrs Frankish had left that I noticed the envelope Dad had picked up from the doormat when we first came in. It was propped on a shelf in Re’s and my bedroom, tucked behind her little china penguin – Dad must have put it there for safe keeping. It was addressed to me . . . and it was from Daniel.

Inside was the photo Great Auntie Irene had taken of Dad, Mum, Rhianna, Jamie and me by the lake. So this was what Daniel had found at the cave. I grinned. He’d managed to rescue the one thing that was most precious to us all, and apart from a small tear along one edge it was undamaged. I gently traced my finger over Mum’s smiling face. ‘It’s never going to be the same without you,’ I thought.

But deep inside I had the amazing feeling that a whole new chapter in my life was just beginning. And no matter what happened, as long as Re, Dad, Jamie and I were together, everything was going to be all right.